China was then known as the Empire of the Great Ming. The Ming was described as "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history".[1] It was the last imperial dynasty in China ruled by ethnic Han Chinese.

The Ming's main capital of Beijing fell in 1644 to a rebellion led by Li Zicheng, who established the Shun dynasty. This was soon replaced by the Manchu-led Qing dynasty. Regimes loyal to the Ming throne – collectively called the Southern Ming – survived until 1683.